Method for the production of modulable garments

ABSTRACT

Method for producing a modulable garment by assembling pieces (1) having assembling lines (2) reproducing a single diamond-shaped basic design. The pieces are provided with fastening means (3) such as press-studs placed along the assembling lines and are so arranged that the diamond-shaped pieces have their large diagonal (d) oriented vertically. The top and bottom parts of the garment are each formed by a row of four pieces defining four diamond shapes assembled by their angles situated at the ends of the small diagonals.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method for the production of modulablegarments.

2. Prior Art

Conventionally, the production of garments requires a pattern to bemade, the pattern being used as a template for cutting each part of thegarment. This pattern may be configured to the specific dimensions ofthe person to whom the garments is destined, as in the case of a"made-to-measure" garment, or it may have standardized dimensions, as inthe case of a "ready-made" garment. In both cases, the cutting operationis followed by assembling the different parts of the garment by sewing.This conventional method of assembly presents disadvantages: firstly,the garments produced in this way are not easily transformable; andsecondly, since the shape of the parts to be sewn are different andvaried, there is an inevitable waste in the basic material used.

It has been proposed to produce transformable or modulable garments fromstandard elements of various shapes and provided with removablefastening means so that they can be assembled together to make a givengarment.

French Patent No. 2 079 865 for example, discloses a method fortransforming garments and accessories, using geometrical elements ofsmall dimensions, each element having in common at least one side of thesame length. For assembling the different elements, at least oneperforation is provided proximate to each top part of the geometricalelement, for threading an annular spring therethrough.

French Patent No. 1 563 149 relates to a woman's garment produced byjuxtaposition of strips of fabric, leather or the like, assembledtogether by fasteners, rings or tapes equipped with mutual fasteningmeans.

French Patent No. 2 399 810 discloses a method for the production ofgarments by assembling separate component parts that can be identical ordifferent.

Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,404 relates to a garment composed of a verylarge number of small, diamond-shaped components interconnected by theircorners only, whereby a pattern of gaps appears among the lozenges.

However, the above-cited documents disclose either garments of veryplain, not really attractive shapes, or garments of more elaborateshapes, but which then require a multiplicity of different elements,resulting in greater fabric storage requirements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION WITH OBJECTS

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method permittingthe production of garments which are both attractive and becomingwithout relying on a plurality of elements of different shapes.

According to the invention, this object is attained by a method forproducing a modulable garment by assembling elementary pieces ofmaterial; which pieces define a surface comprised of a diamond-shapedcontour having a small diagonal and a large diagonal, plus marginalportion outside said diamond-shaped contour, wherein, for each piece,said large diagonal is arranged to be substantially parallel to aprincipal axis of an intended wearer of said garment and wherein a basicgarment is produced by joining together four said pieces so that theyfit around a hip or the chest of said wearer, each piece being attachedto two neighboring pieces by fastening means substantially at corners ofsaid contours where said small diagonals terminate, said pieces havingfastening means located substantially at angles and along sides of saiddiamond-shaped contour, whereby said contour defines assembling lines.

Advantageously the method also involves additional steps of assemblingaccessory pieces that define a surface comprised of a triangularlyshaped contour of which one side at least is of a same length as a sideof said diamond-shaped contour, plus a marginal portion outside saidtriangularly shaped contour said at least one side of said triangularlyshaped contour being attachable to a said basic piece by fasteningmeans, so that assembling of said accessory piece is made to completesaid basic garment according to a given design. One side of the trianglemay comprise a hem for sliding in a tape.

Those among the pieces constituting the garment which have assemblinglines according to the diamond-shaped basic design can themselves bediamond-shaped with edges parallel to the assembling lines. The same mayapply to the accessory pieces with assembling lines forming a triangledesign constituting a fraction of the diamond-shaped basic design. Theedges of the piece are then situated slightly outside the assemblinglines so as to obtain a mutual overlapping of the pieces assembled alongtwo respective edges.

As a variant, some at least of the pieces constituting the garment canhave a different shape from the diamond- or fraction-of-diamond shape,with one or more edges non-parallel to the assembling lines.Accordingly, one or more pieces constituting the garment can have a freepart forming for example a flounce or a flap extending beyond anassembling line, and having no role in the way the garment hangs.

As indicated hereinafter in more details, the choice of a diamond shapeas basic design for contours that define the assembling lines ofcomponent parts of the garment is not an arbitrary one. It offers manyadvantages both from a technical and an aesthetic standpoint.

Indeed, the diamond shape is the most rational shape to fit around thebody. The diamond-shaped pieces are arranged with one diagonal,preferably the largest, directed vertically. Thus, the sides of thediamond shapes form oblique lines which make it easier to join the partstogether while enabling the neck and arm-holes to be more easilydefined, thus giving a more becoming aspect to the garment.

Moreover, the fact of choosing four diamond-shaped pieces to form thepart of the garment around the chest makes it possible for the neck andthe arm-holes of the garment to be formed naturally. In the case of agarment having an upper part and a lower part, the four diamonds formingthe part of the garment around the hip then complete the upper partharmoniously.

When the pieces constituting the garment are made of fabric, the sidesof the diamond shapes are preferably bias cut into the fabric, that is,cut slantwise relative to the yarns to grant a certain suppleness to theedges and improve cohesion between the assembled pieces.

Advantageously, the dimensions of the diamonds are so selected that theserviceable length of their small diagonal is equal to one quarter ofthe chest measurement of a standard size and to half the large diagonal.Because of this rationalization of the dimensions of the diamond pieces,a salesman will only need to hold a limited stock of garment parts,corresponding to the standard sizes.

The fastening means are provided on the sides and at the angles of thediamond shapes. Different fastening means can be used such as, forexample, buttons, press-studs, laces, . . .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics, details and advantages of the method according tothe invention will be more readily understood on reading the followingdescription, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A to 1D show the steps of making a finished garment according tothe invention, to illustrate the principle on which it is based,

FIG. 2 shows a garment part with assembling lines defining a basicdiamond-shaped design, used to produce a garment using the methodaccording to the invention,

FIGS. 3A and 3B show accessory parts with assembling lines, defining adesign that constitutes a fraction of the basic diamond-shaped design,

FIG. 4 illustrates a possible way of assembling the parts to form asimple garment using the method according to the invention, and

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a press-stud usable for assembling the piecesconstituting a garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The method for producing modulable garments according to the inventionrelies on the use of parts having assembling lines which reproduce asingle diamond-shaped basic design.

The choice of the diamond shape results from the fact that the humanfigure fits in a diamond shape L (FIG. 1A) of which the large diagonalis vertical and corresponds substantially to the height of the subject.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1B to 1D, it is possible, to come very close tothe body outline, by fractionating the diamond shape L into ajuxtaposition of a plurality of equal sized elementary diamond shapeswhose large diagonals are also vertical, hence the possibility ofproducing a garment by assembling pieces according to diamond shapes. InFIG. 1B, the hatched elementary diamonds form the front or the back ofthe top part of a garment, at chest level, while in FIG. 1C, the hatchedelementary diamonds from the front or the back of the lower part of agarment, at hip level. Other elementary diamonds can be use to completethe garment, at least at waist level to form the final garment shownschematically in FIG. 1D.

FIG. 2 illustrates a standard piece 1 with assembling lines 2reproducing the basic diamond-shaped design. In the illustrated example,piece 1 is itself diamond-shaped, the edges of the diamond beingparallel to those of the diamond defined by the lines 2. Piece 1 is madeof fabric, leather or other material. Preferably, when the piece is madeof fabric, the sides of piece 1 are bias cut in the fabric so that thewarp yarns and the weft yarns are parallel to the diagonals of thediamond.

The dimensions of piece 1 are calculated as follows. The small diagonald of the diamond shape defined by assembling lines 2 is equal to aquarter of the chest or hip measurement of the person for whom thegarment is produced. In the case of "ready-to-wear" garments, a numberof theoretical diamond shapes are determined, the dimensions of thesmall diagonals being calculated from the chest or hip measurementscorresponding to standard sizes (38N, 40N, . . .). The large diagonal Dof the diamond shape defined by assembling lines 2, is chosen to beequal to twice as long as the small diagonal. The dimensions of piece 1are selected to be slightly greater than those of the diamond shapedefined by assembling lines 2 to allow an assembling with a slightoverlap of the pieces at the level of their assembled angles or sides.For example, the diagonals of piece 1 have a length which is about 2 cm(3/441 ) longer than the length of diagonals d and D.

The means for fastening together the pieces constituting the garment (asshown diagrammatically by reference numeral 3) can for example consistof buttons, press-studs or eyelets for threading in laces. Oneembodiment involving press-studs is described hereinafter with referenceto FIG. 5.

The locations of the fastening means along the assembling lines 2 aredefined in such a way as to provide for example three fasteners on eachside of a diamond: one in the middle of the side and two others at equaldistance from said middle, and close to the angles defining the side. Inaddition, one fastener is provided at each angle of the piece 1.

The main parts of the garment which are formed by the pieces 1 arecompleted with accessory pieces having assembling lines defining afraction of the basic diamond-shaped design. Some of these accessorypieces may be obtained by cutting a standard piece 1. For example, FIGS.3A and 3B show two accessory pieces 4, 5 obtained by cutting piece 1along its great diagonal and its small diagonal respectively. On two oftheir sides, the accessory pieces 4, 5 are provided with fastening means3 disposed in the same way as on the sides of the basic piece 1. Thefastening means 3 are situated on assembling lines 2 which define atriangle constituting a fraction of the basic diamond-shaped design.

In the case where the piece is cut along the small diagonal d (FIG. 3b),the resulting triangles will advantageously have at least one hem 6 onthe base of the triangle. If needs be, the hem can be used as a meansfor threading in a tape, for tightening the collar, cuffs, waist or abelt, depending on the position of the triangle in the garment.

Moreover, to avoid having an extra thickness of fabric in theoverlapping area between the apex of a triangle and the angles of thetwo adjacent diamonds, the apex of the triangle may be cut as indicatedby reference numeral 7 in FIG. 3B. The triangle can then be joined bythe two fasteners closest to the removed apex.

FIG. 4 illustrates the two-dimensional form of one embodiment of agarment according to the invention.

A first row of four pieces 1a to 1d is produced to form the top part ofthe garment. These pieces have their large diagonal vertical and areassembled by their angles situated at the ends of the small diagonals. Asecond identical row of four pieces 1e to 1h is produced to form thebottom part of the garment. The two rows can be joined together byassembling the lower angles of the pieces of the top row with the upperangles of the pieces of the bottom row and/or with interposition ofpieces 1i, 1j at waist level. The resulting garment can be extendeddownwardly by accessory pieces 5a, 5b.

As already indicated, the use of a basic diamond-shaped design for theassembling lines of the pieces of the garment bring particularadvantages from a practical and aesthetic standpoint.

The oblique lines formed by the sides of the diamond shapes allow thegarment to be made with a progressive increase or reduction in itsfullness, and affords an impression of slimness.

The presence of joining points between the pieces at the top of obliquelines--as opposed to along horizontal lines--contributes to a trim, flatfastening, i.e. without wrinkles or bulges along the sides of thepieces.

If the pieces 1 are made of fabric, the sides of the diamond shape areadvantageously bias cut into the fabric, so as to give suppleness to theassembly and improve cohesion between the pieces.

Moreover, the V-shaped parts formed by the upper sides of the row ofpieces 1a to 1d form a deep neckline and substantial arm-holes, and canthus be attached to a collar and sleeves of appropriate shapes and offree design.

It is finally possible to provide the garment with pockets integrated ina standard element, the dimensions of the element being adequate to thiseffect.

In another embodiment, the garment is produced by assembling only fourbasic pieces by their angles situated at the ends of small diagonals inorder to form, for example, a blouse or a basic element for bermudashorts or even for trousers.

A further embodiment consists in assembling pieces on a support providedwith fastening means compatible with those provided along the assemblinglines forming a diamond shape or a fraction-of-diamond shape. This issuitable for producing a skirt starting from a belt of arbitrary shapeor a bodice starting from a neckband.

The foregoing has considered the production of a garment from pieceshaving a shape that corresponds to that of the diamond-shaped basicdesign, or of a triangular fraction of that basic design.

The advantages obtained when using a diamond-shaped basic design arepreserved if the pieces constituting the garment, or some of thosepieces, have a shape other than a diamond or triangle shape, as long assaid pieces contain assembling lines that reproduce the diamond shape orpart-diamond shape of the basic design, inscribed inside the pieces.Then, when the pieces are assembled, they have free parts lying outsidethe assembling lines. These free parts play no part in holding thegarment together. They constitute for example, flaps, such as shown byreference numeral 8, flounces or other elements for aesthetic purposes.

Assembling of the pieces can be achieved by means of removablepress-studs, an example of which is illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

The press-stud comprises a male part 10 and a female part 20, eachpassing through respective holes formed in the pieces 1 to be assembledand provided with metallic eyelets 9 crimped on the material (fabric,leather or other material) of the pieces 1. The male part 10 comprises ahead 11 extended by a stem 12 that passes through the eyelet 9 andprojects therefrom. The projecting portion has a first groove 13 forhousing a metallic annular retaining ring 14, and a second groove 15separating the end 16 of the stem, which has a rounded outline, from therest of said stem. The female part 20 comprises a head 21 extended by atubular part 22 at the end of which is formed a groove 23 for a metallicannular retaining ring 24. Longitudinal slots 25 are formed in thetubular part 22 dividing the part into strips 26 extending up to the endof that part, allowing the female part to expand.

During the pressure-assembling of the male and female parts, the end 16of the male part penetrates into the female part by pushing aside thestrips 26, until the ring 24 reaches the level of the groove 15.

The press-studs just described in the foregoing have the advantage ofbeing removable, after removal of the retaining rings, so that they canthen be replaced or changed-over in accordance with changes to be madeto the garment. In addition, they allow great freedom of assembly of thegarment pieces, since they can be assembled on either the front orreverse side, by their top or bottom parts, and through severalthicknesses, depending on requirements.

The foregoing description concerned the production of garments for ahuman being, but the invention also covers the production of garmentsfor different recipients. For example, the invention can be implementedon a reduced scale to produce dolls' clothes. At the other end of thescale, the invention may be used to produce theater costumes forgiant-sized models.

We claim:
 1. A method for producing a modulable garment comprising thesteps of:providing a plurality of elementary pieces of a materialcontaining a diamond shaped contour with corners at each end of a smalldiagonal of said diamond shaped contour and corners at each end of alarge diagonal of said diamond shaped contour, arranging four of saidelementary pieces in side by side relation, with the large diagonals ofthe contours of said elementary pieces substantially parallel to oneanother; and joining said four elementary pieces together usingfastening means at said corners at each end of said small diagonals ofsaid diamond shaped contour to provide a garment to fit around a hip orchest portion of an intended wearer.
 2. The method of claim 1 andfurther comprising the steps of:providing a plurality of accessorypieces of a material defined by a triangular shaped contour containingat least one side of a length equal to a length of one of saidelementary pieces, and joining at least one of said accessory pieces tosaid garment using fastening means at said one side of said accessorypiece.
 3. The method of claim 2 and further comprising the step ofproviding at least one edge of an accessory piece with a hem forreceiving an insertable material therein.
 4. The method of claim 1,including: providing each of said elementary pieces with a smalldiagonal having a length substantially equal to one-fourth of ameasurement around said hip or chest and said measurement corresponds toa predetermined garment size.
 5. The method of claim 1 including:providing each of said elementary pieces with a large diagonal having alength twice as long as the length of the small diagonal of saidelementary piece.
 6. The method of claim 1 including:providing each ofsaid elementary pieces of a fabric material; and cutting an edge of saidmarginal portions of said fabric material on a bias.
 7. The method ofclaim 1 including: crimping said material of said elementary pieces toform eyelets, providing said fastening means in the form of removablepress studs composed of a male part and a female part, providing a malepart of said fastening means to eyelets in one of said elementarypieces, and providing a cooperating female part to eyelets in another ofsaid elementary pieces.
 8. The method of claim 1 including:providingsaid plurality of elementary pieces with a diamond shaped contour havinga small diagonal and a large diagonal of a size to provide a garment fora doll.